NBA Trade Rumors: Why Injuries Will Force the Celtics To Make a Move
If the NBA playoffs were to start this week, it would be fair to say that the Boston Celtics would be one of, if not the favorite to win the East and possibly the NBA Championship.
While Boston does hold the best record in the East and looks to be playing great basketball right now, they are doing all this with some of their top reserves out with injury.
Key players like Shaquille O'Neal, Delonte West, Jermaine O'Neal and Marquis Daniels are all out, and what's more worrisome, is that all of their time tables are completely unknown.
This brings up the question of should Boston make a move before the trade deadline? With these nagging injuries, all signs point to that being a good idea.
Let's take a look at 10 reasons why the Boston Celtics should get active and make a move before the trade deadline.
10. Need Another Outside Threat Off The Bench
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The Celtics have the best 3-point shooter in the game today in Ray Allen. Add Paul Pierce into that equation and Boston has two really good shooters in their starting lineup.
But, the same can't be said about the bench. Between Nate Robinson, Von Wafer, Avery Bradley and Luke Harangody, which are the four players to come off the Celtics bench that attempt 3-pointers, they are a combined 75-239, which is a 31 percent shooting clip from outside.
Robinson is the only guy that comes off the bench that has even attempted over 45 3-pointers this year.
The Celtics might want to look into trading for a guy who has some accuracy from down town.
9. Follow The Trend
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If you have a great thing, don't mess with it. But in the Celtics case, they have a great thing, but it needs some additions.
The trend around the NBA over the past couple years is that the better teams who appear to be playoff contenders look to make a move to bolster their roster for when the playoffs role around. Now, no one is suggesting that the Celtics make a move to change their whole identity.
The Celtics should look to make a trade that involves trading one bench player for another bench player, one that fits their needs.
8. They Only Dress Nine Players
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With all the injuries that have occurred as of late for the Boston Celtics, they have only been able to bring four guys off their bench, which has to be a concern for this team.
In their game on Monday against the Charlotte Bobcats, Glen Davis, Von Wafer, Nate Robinson and Luke Harangody were the only players that came off the bench for the Celtics. The group combined to score just 15 points on a pathetic 4-of-15 shooting from the field.
The Celtics are simply not going to be able to continue this. They need to add some depth to their bench and they need to do it sooner than later.
7. Add Some Youth
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Shaquille O'Neal is 38
Ray Allen is 35
Kevin Garnett is is 34
Paul Pierce is 33
Are you able to follow the trend here? This is not to say that the Celtics need to move on from these guys, because without one of those three (Allen, Pierce and Garnett), they are no longer the best team in the East. Garnett, Allen and Pierce are the original big-three, and need to stick together if this team is going to have continued success.
But age is an issue, and these guys are playing a lot of minutes because of the lack of depth on the bench. The Celtics need to bring in one or two youthful players with some fresh legs to provide a spark off the bench and some much needed rest for their big-time players.
6. Luke Harangody and Von Wafer Don't Cut It Come Playoff Time
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Coming from someone who watches the Celtics whenever they are on National TV, Luke Harangody is a nice player. He has had some good games this season and the same can be said for Von Wafer.
But when the playoffs role around and the Celtics are in the surge of making a run for an NBA title, these guys just simply aren't the level of quality that you want out there playing 12-15 minutes per game off the bench.
If someone needs a breather, then send one of them in for a minute or two. But right now, both of these guys are averaging over eight minutes per game, which simply isn't going to cut it come playoff time.
5. Need More Depth Up Front
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Heading into this season, anyone could have made the argument that once Kendrick Perkins returned to the Celtics lineup, Boston had the deepest front court in the NBA.
They made the moves in the offseason to add guys like Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal because they knew that injuries could be a problem, and they needed help with defending guys like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol come playoff time.
But as of now, Shaq is out with an Achilles injury, Jermaine O'Neal might be lost for the entire season with a left knee injury that he just had surgery on, and Perkins is just getting back from from an offseason ACL surgery that took an extended time to heal.
You hate to have to add another big man because you spent so much time focusing on that in the offseason, but right now, it might be whats best for this team if they want to make another run at an NBA Championship.
4. Need More Scoring Off The Bench
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The Celtics need to make a move for a player who can come off the bench and score some points for them.
Just look at the numbers.
Boston's bench scored just 15 points in Monday's loss to Charlotte. Over the past seven games, the unit is averaging a lousy 22.6 points per game, and opponents' subs are outscoring it by more than seven points per game during that span.
This is something that the Celtics have to address. Glen Davis is their best scoring option off the bench, and his role is supposed to be more focused on rebounding and playing strong defense. If the Celtics can land a guy who can come in and give them 12-15 minuets and 8-10 points per game off the bench, that will be a huge score for this team.
3. Need a Bench That Has Experience Playing Together
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Boston coach Doc Rivers has expressed a need for his regular bench players to play together before the postseason. But because of injuries, this is something that has been impossible to do.
Rivers knows very well how important it is for his bench players to have experience playing together so that they can have a feel for one another.
The way it stands right now, Boston has a very weak bench, and it doesn't appear that guys like Jermaine O'Neal and Marquis Daniels are going to be returning anytime soon.
The best move here is to make a trade as soon as possible so the new player(s) can have time to get acclimated with the rest of the team.
2. Starters Are Too Old to Play Increased Minutes
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Let's take a look at the Celtics most recent game against Charlotte and focus on the minutes that the starters were forced to play because of the lack of depth on the bench.
Ray Allen- 39
Kevin Garnett- 31
Paul Pierce- 35
Kendrick Perkins- 35
Rajon Rondo- 43
The only guy that should be playing more then 35 minutes per game on that list is Rondo. And he played 43 minutes, which is almost an entire game.
Come playoff time, the starters minutes will likely increase. But the fact that Doc Rivers has to play a guy like Ray Allen just under 40 minutes a game in a regular season contest against the Charlotte Bobcats is just not right.
1. Because You Need Depth In a Seven Game Playoff Series
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This is the most top-heavy the Eastern Conference has been in years.
With the improvement of Miami, Chicago and New York, there are six legitimate playoff teams in the Eastern Conference that could cause a team like Boston to go seven games in a series- especially a team like Miami, Chicago or Orlando.
When you get into the playoffs and face those long, extended playoff series, one of the most important asset's you can have on your team is good depth coming off the bench. Starters get tired from playing so many games, so many minutes so close together.
The Celtics are in a position right now where they just don't have the depth coming off their bench that a serious NBA Championship competitor needs. That is why a move has to be done before the trade deadline if this team wants to compete for an NBA title in 2011.
Conclusion
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With the injuries that have piled up for this team over the past couple months, it is obvious that the Boston Celtics need to make a trade before the deadline to add depth to their bench.
The issue here though is that adding someone to the roster would require removing a contract, and all 15 are currently guaranteed. The Celtics really do not have a lot of desirable contracts on this team as far as someone who Boston would want to get rid of in a trade.
With that said, it might be hard to get a deal done before the deadline. But if they are able to get something done, one guy who comes to mind that would be a perfect fit with this team would be Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier.
Battier is a guy who can shoot from the outside, is a great defender, and can also bang down low if need be. He fits every need that Boston has and is a guy that very well could be movable if the right pieces are thrown at the Rockets.
Boston might be forced to part ways with some future draft picks, but if that's what it takes to land a guy like Battier, it will be well-worth it come playoff time.
